this past weekend was my first true "solo" experience...amy and i parted ways for 3 whole days...crazy, i know...amy went to france to visit one of her friends from home, and i made my way to granada to visit the one and only eli...and honestly, it was probably the smoothest trip i've had yet...no hiccups really at all...i was never short on time and no trains were delayed or canceled or anything! there was no way God wasn't taking care of me...because, a whole lot of things could have gone wrong...
i arrived in barcelona around 10 in the morning...i dropped my bag off at the train station, bought my overnight train ticket to granada, and then spent the day in barcelona by myself...it really was great...the weather was wonderful...i walked up and down Las Ramblas about 6 times...it was so entertaining...there were tons of street performers that i thought were just hysterical...i did some shopping and bought some artwork (probably my favorite thus far)...i also went on a bus tour, just so i could cover all the main attractions in one day...i must admit though...there is no way i could travel all by myself in a place where i can't communicate...i was more than fine with it for one day...but, i know it would be difficult to live so disconnected for a long period of time...i mean, i couldn't even buy a coke without some major issues...it was interesting...
that night i got on my train with no problems...and it was a like a hotel compared to my previous night trains...i was in the very first car (which is great, because i'm closest to the exit when we arrive at the final platform), there were 4 beds, which i shared with 3 other women, and there was even a sink! about 30 minutes in, i was sound asleep...i didn't hear a thing until 8 the next morning with some woman came in , tapped me on the forehead and said "hola!"...quite a wakeup call...then less than an hour later, i was running towards eli along the platform...so good...we spent the morning just walking around granada...the town is so beautiful...it is sort of like the Florence of spain...my hostel was really cool too...i couldn't stay with eli because she is living with a host family...anyway, that afternoon we rented these motorized bicycles...they propelled you as you pedaled so there is really no effort involved...they were so amazing...we ate some great kebabs (still second to poland's kebabs though) and did some more biking...after eli had slammed her bike pedals into free standing poles a few times, and the locals had a good laugh at her, we returned the bikes and headed up to the muslim part of town to watch the sun set...the muslim side of town is so cool...all of the buildings are white, and from the top of it, you can watch the sun set on the Alhambra (which is the main tourist attraction of Grananda...a palace/fortress)...it was absolutely wonderful, and there were lots of fun gypsies...
we finished the night off at a tapas bar...a very spanish tradition...and a very cheap one too...then we went to eli's favorite cafe and had cafe con leche and churros...delicious...but, the best part of the day was the conversation that followed...it is such a blessing to have a friend like eli...just being able so sit together, with someone who already knows me, and with someone i already know...and just share...talk about God and where we each are in our walks with Him...but not have to worry about back stories etc...it is such a blessing to really know someone...and i thank God for reminding me of that this weekend...
life in rome is great...amy and i just made dinner for our two roomies...turned out quite well i think...it's starting to get pretty chilly here...and we are now facing the dilemma of drying clothes outside when there is no warmth...let me know if you have any ideas...amy and i also unclogged the pipe in our sink...we are officially growing up...and last night we heard a choir of italians practicing "jingle bells" in a building near our apartment...i almost burst into tears for some reason...i just love christmas and everything that goes with it...and we heard a rumor that St. Peter's puts up a huge christmas tree in the piazza every year!
4 comments:
yay!
that is the scariest peacock i have ever seen in me whole entire life! whew, we may have a poster of one on whatever wall space we have left when you get back......i can totally see you and eli's run to each other, totally movie ready.....and eli crashing into polls on a bike while locals watch...her cute, adorable redness and giggle....and you just laughing and laughing....man, sounds like a great weekend. So glad you got to have quality time with her. My fave pic is the one with the moonlight, branch, and the road sign, i think it is, you are getting good. love and miss you, and no matter what addison says, i didnt cheat because there were no rules about how to win.....hey amy, thanks for the post card.....love you two.....hh
NOOOO!!! I totally had an entire post typed out and I lost it. DANG! So I'm going to try to remember what I said.
Rebecca totally cheated because I checked your blog LESS THAN AN HOUR AGO and she still beat me. She says their are no rules, but there are, and she broke them. She said, "i was talking to her, asked her what she was doing and she said - updating my blog
totally and completely not breaking a rule that was never made, totally......" That's cheating.
I really liked the image of someone waking you up by tapping you on the forehead. I really want a reenactment of that when you return (which better be soon)! People are already starting to come back from their trips! But you are, for some silly reason, stuck in Europe.
I had a good laugh seeing a giant picture of the Pope staring at me out of my mailbox. It was awesome. You rock.
Only 44 days until Santa comes!!!
My original word verification word: mitylax
My new word verification word: scantal
i miss you sal...
i can't wait for you to learn about shroom n swiss....
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